Fri Feb 10 2012
By Matt Fredmonsky | staff writer
Kent State University’s new athletic director is all for transparency to show how his department’s $19.6 million budget is spent.
KSU Athletic Director Joel Nielsen recently answered questions for the Record-Courier for a three-part series, beginning Wednesday on page A1, on athletics spending at universities nationwide.
A report from the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics calling for reform of athletics spending sparked the series, which focuses on MAC schools and KSU in particular.
“I think there’s value in the work that they do,” Nielsen said of the Knight Commission members, some of whom he knows personally. “I think they do great work.”
During his time at South Dakota, Nielsen oversaw the school’s costly transition upgrade from Division II-A to Division I-A.
Nielsen sat down with the Record-Courier for a one-hour interview about athletics spending, but tactfully dodged the biggest question: Do universities spend too much on athletics?
“What we invest in athletics has a direct and consistent return to the institution,” he said. “It allows for a visibility that may not be possible through other mediums.”
The administration at KSU has asked Nielsen to improve the university football team’s record from last year, in which they won just, without spending more money.
Nielsen said he’ll tackle the challenge by re-disbursing football funds rather than adding to the budget.
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